It is commonly known that during childbirth a newborn child can be easily dropped. Childbirth is a process in which a child is expelled from the uterus of a woman through a birth canal. During childbirth, the woman is subjected to contractions of the uterus commonly referred to as labor. As labor progresses the contractions increase in frequency and severity. While giving birth a woman is typically assisted by at least one person who directs the child through the last section of the birth canal and is available for supporting the child upon delivery. As the woman is subjected to disabling contractions throughout the duration of labor, she is typically incapable of providing assistance in support of the child. Further, in many cases the woman prefers anesthesia to alleviate the pain which has a side effect of lessening the woman's alertness.
The problem in delivery is that the birthing assistant must not only attend to the comfort of the woman but must further assist in safely directing the child into the world. However, the child is born with a fluid secreted from the woman's mucous membranes that moistens and protects the skin of the newborn child. Mucous is a thick slimy secretion which makes the child extremely slippery and difficult to hold. Should the birth assistant utilize latex gloves or the like material, the fluid operates with the gloves resulting in an extreme condition. Thousands of babies are dropped by birthing assistants including highly trained medical personnel, all to the detriment of the newborn. The cause may be a combination of slippery surfaces or inattention while trying to assist during delivery. In other instances, the child is grasped so firmly to prevent dropping that the child can be easily bruised. In any event, the fall of a child can result in a severe injury, physically to the child and mentally to the birthing parent.
For these reasons various attempts have been made to correct the problem including the use of hospitals requiring at least two birthing assistants during delivery. Support drapes such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,832 set forth a version of a commonly used drape capable of retaining fluid as well as preventing the fall of a child during birth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,860 discloses a birthing drape used primarily for catching body fluids expelled during child birth by use of a catch basin that is placed below the body of the birthing mother and hooked over each of the woman's extended legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,418 discloses a birth safety net directed to preventing the dropping of a newborn child by use of a five cornered net which is coupled to a portion of the birthing chair or birthing bed. The problem with this disclosure is that the device must be attached to a special table and is used only as a safety net. Thus, the birthing assistant must still pick up the child leaving no "safety net" during the movement of the child. Finally, the use of birthing chairs and beds is archaic and seldom practiced.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a device that can be used during childbirth so as to provide a safety net to prevent a newborn child from falling and can be used in transferring of the child from one position to another.